Apparatus for removing deposits of carbon, paints, varnish, and the like from engine parts



2,03 7,071 PAINTS,

Aprll 14, 1936. GERLACH APPARATUS FOR REMOVING DEPOSITS OF CARBON VARNISH AND THE LIKE FROM ENGINE PARTS Original Filed June 30, 1934 H. c m 5 T WN N R E o m n D A m H m on Patented Apr. 14, 1936 PATENT OFFICE mm'rus roa amovmc nnrosrrs or CARBON, PAINTS,

VARNISH, AND THE LIKE mom ENGINE mars Richard Gerlach, Philadelphia, in.

Original application June 30, 1934, 'Serial No. 733,155. Divided and this application October 23, 1934, Serial No. 749,520

1 Claim.

My invention relates to a new and useful ap-' paratus for removing carbon deposits from parts of internal combustion engines in a very thorough manner to permit close inspection of such parts for defects and without in any way damaging or wearing out said parts, this application being a division from my copending application No. 733,155, filed June 30, 1934.

In the operation of internal combustion engines very hard carbon deposits form on the surfaces of certain parts, such as valves, cylinder heads, piston tops, etc., which seriously interfere with the safety and efficiency of the operation of such engines. In the case of automobile engines it is sufllcient to remove the cylinder head and scrape off the hard carbon by means of a chisel or other hard instrument and reassemble the engine. In airplane engines this practice is not satisfactory, for the reason that it is necessary that the parts be absolutely and thoroughly cleaned in order to permit close and thorough inspection of parts for defects or' cracks, and it has heretofore been the practice to scrape the carbon deposits by means of chisels and wire brushes and finally to sand-blast the parts in order to remove the last traces of the carbon deposits. Due to the extreme accuracy and nicety of fit of the parts of an airplane engine, this practice is most unsatisfactory, since the scraping by I means of wire brushes and the sand-blasting result in the wearing out of the metal and alteration of the original dimensions, so that after a few cleanings of the parts according to this method some or all of the parts thus cleaned have to be renewed at a considerable expense.

It is, therefore, the object of my invention to provide an apparatus for removing the carbon deposits from such parts without the use of any scraping and without the use of. wire brushes or sand-blasting, thereby thoroughly cleaning the parts and at the same time eliminating any damage to or wear of such parts.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a novel apparatus for removing carbon deposits from engine parts at a greatly reduced cost in' time, labor and material. I

My novel apparatus will be more clearly understood from the following specification and accompanying drawing, in which: 7

Fig. 1 represents a vertical sectional view of an apparatus embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 represents a plan view of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing in which like reference characters indicate like parts, I designates do a table or platform or other support for supporting a tank 2, which is also preferably supp rted by means of the brackets 3. The tank 2 is' provided with a water and air-tight lid or cover 4 which is hinged at 5 to the arm 6, which also carries the counter-weight l to facilitate the open- 5 ing and closing of the cover 4. The cover 4 is provided with a safety valve 8 and a pressure gauge 9 and is secured in the closed position by any desired number of clamps II). In the bottom of the tank 2, I provide the heatingcoil l2 which is supplied with live steam through the inlet 13, said coil also having an outlet II. In connection with the heating coil l2 it is to be understood that any other desired heating element positioned within or without the tank may be used. l5 designates a drain valve which may be operated remotely by the handle 16. Within the tank 2, I position the superimposed baskets l8 and 20 which are adapted to receive the engine parts to be cleaned, such as the piston 2i, valve 22, cylinder block 23, etc. Surrounding the baskets l8 and 20, I provide one or morecooling coils 24 and 25 which are supplied with cold water or other cooling medium through the inlet valves 26 and '21 and which are provided with the common outlet 28. The baskets l8 and 20 are also provided with suitable handles 29 to facilitate removal thereof from the tank 2. The baskets l8 and 20 are placed within the tank 2 on any suitable support 30.

The operation is as follows: The tank 2 is charged with water and a cleaning compound in the ratio of approximately 1 part of compound to 80 parts of water by volume. The cleaning compound I prefer to use, and which under actual test has given very highly satisfactory results, is composed of about seventy percent of ortho-di-' chloro-benzene, about nine percent of triethanol amine, and about twenty-one percent of oleic acid (Antarctic red oil). The compound is prepared in liquid form, and in charging the tank one part of this compound to about eighty of water is satisfactory. The parts to be cleaned are then positioned in the baskets l8-20 and the cover 4 is clamped down. Steam is then turned on in the heating coil l2 (or other heating element may be used) until a temperature of three hundred to four hundred degrees F. is reached within the tank. The temperature causes the liquid contents of the tank to evaporate, thus building up a pressure within the tank which may range from twenty to eighty pounds per square inch. The parts to be cleaned are subjected to the desired degree of temperature and pressure for a period of from one to two hours, depending upon the 1 densation of the vapors therewithin to expedite the removal of the baskets from the tank. When the tank has cooled sunlciently, the cover l is opened and the baskets II and II with their contents are removed by means of the handle .29.

The carbon deposit now present on the parts 2|,

22, 23, etc, is in the form of a soft, plastic mass. in lieu oi the hard, crusty substance which it was before being thus treated. The parts are then subjected to a spray of gasoline, kerosene, or other volatile hydro-carbon, under pressure of ninety to two hundred pounds. The parts are then wiped dry and are thoroughly clean and ready for inspection and bling.

It will thus. be seen that I have devised a novel apparatus whereby the hard, firmly adhering carbon deposits on the surfaces of parts of internal as combustion engines may be thorous y. eiiicient- 1y, economically and expeditiously cleaned without in anyway damaging the parts or subjecting them to any wear or alteration.

It is to be understood that the apparatus herein disclosed is equally applicable to the removal of the heat-resisting varnishes with which engine parts subjected to excessive heat are usually coated.

I claim:

An apparatus for removing illm deposits from engine parts comprising, a tank adapted to contain a solvent, a. pair ot superimposed baskets positioned within said tank in spaced relation to each other and to the bottom of said tank, a pair of cooling coils sm'rounding the upper portions of said baskets and disposed intermediate said baskets and the inner wall of said tank, controlled water-inlets leading to the top ends of said coils, a common drain outlet leading from the lower ends of said coils, a hinged fulcrum cover, an extension handle therefor and a counter-weight at the extreme end of said handle for facilitating the raising and lowering of said cover.

RICHARD G. GERLACH. as 

